To be perfectly honest, I have always tried to avoid reading/ discussing religious poetry because I find difficult to understand, especially for someone who is not very familiar with the rich practices of Christianity and its various branches. When I think of religious poetry I also think of Biblical stories. John Milton’s Paradise Lost comes to mind and I am really not perfectly sure if we can classify it as religious poetry since it relies heavily on the Bible and the story of Adam and Eve.
In terms of teaching, I am not sure how to approach religious poetry and introduce it to students especially when they are coming from different religious backgrounds. The good news is that religious, love and political poetry all intersect and many “religious poems” also talk about other themes. This makes religious poetry easier to teach and introduce to students who might be prejudiced towards any religious-literary text.
I personally enjoyed reading Browning’s “The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus”. It addresses aspects that John Milton misses in Paradise Lost.Paradise Lost shows Eve as guilty and blames her for the original sin. While this poem represents the female in a motherly, kind and divine way. In this poem, EBB gives voice to Mary and focuses on her inner thoughts as a mother. In the first stanzas of the poem, the mother is trying to sooth her child and put him to sleep like any other caring and loving mother.
Sleep, sleep, mine Holy One!
My flesh, my Lord!--what name? I do not know
A name that seemeth not too high or low,
Too far from me or heaven.
My Jesus, that is best! that word being given
By the majestic angel whose command
Was softly as a man's beseeching said,
When I and all the earth appeared to stand
In the great overflow
Of light celestial from his wings and head.
Sleep, sleep, my saving One!
I like this poem very much because it addresses universal feelings of parenthood. It reflects Mary’s unconditional love for her child, something that anyone, regardless of his or her religious beliefs, can relate to.
Religious Poetry
To be perfectly honest, I have always tried to avoid reading/ discussing religious poetry because I find difficult to understand, especially for someone who is not very familiar with the rich practices of Christianity and its various branches. When I think of religious poetry I also think of Biblical stories. John Milton’s Paradise Lost comes to mind and I am really not perfectly sure if we can classify it as religious poetry since it relies heavily on the Bible and the story of Adam and Eve.
In terms of teaching, I am not sure how to approach religious poetry and introduce it to students especially when they are coming from different religious backgrounds. The good news is that religious, love and political poetry all intersect and many “religious poems” also talk about other themes. This makes religious poetry easier to teach and introduce to students who might be prejudiced towards any religious-literary text.
I personally enjoyed reading Browning’s “The Virgin Mary to the Child Jesus”. It addresses aspects that John Milton misses in Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost shows Eve as guilty and blames her for the original sin. While this poem represents the female in a motherly, kind and divine way. In this poem, EBB gives voice to Mary and focuses on her inner thoughts as a mother. In the first stanzas of the poem, the mother is trying to sooth her child and put him to sleep like any other caring and loving mother.
Sleep, sleep, mine Holy One!
My flesh, my Lord!--what name? I do not know
A name that seemeth not too high or low,
Too far from me or heaven.
My Jesus, that is best! that word being given
By the majestic angel whose command
Was softly as a man's beseeching said,
When I and all the earth appeared to stand
In the great overflow
Of light celestial from his wings and head.
Sleep, sleep, my saving One!
I like this poem very much because it addresses universal feelings of parenthood. It reflects Mary’s unconditional love for her child, something that anyone, regardless of his or her religious beliefs, can relate to.